Slow Poison
by SouthSideSlasher
Summary: Yet another fic inspired by that almost mind control moment.


The dizziness was the kind that hits when you've got a fever coming on and you've downed one too many Jacks and stood up too fast. Hard enough to make you forget where the hell you stood up to go to in the first place.

Tony stark gave one decisive shake of his head, and the bleariness drew back and settled into a faded patchwork around the edges.

But he was still... so... _fucked_...

His knees collided with the ground. Steadying fingers snaked out and ran over the surface that was both rough and smooth at the same time... he stroked the ambivalent curiosity. A tiny giggle escaped his mouth. Not to say that a scientific marvel like _this_ didn't deserve a little giggle or two. In fact it deserved three.

Belatedly he realised there was no pain in his knees. Worth a nod and a smile. He supposed that he should probably stand back up soon. Reality was still sliding in and out of view. Definitely three too many... And _definitely_ a fever... he wasn't _this_ much of a lightweight when it came to whisky.

Why the hell was he outside anyway? And where the hell was that green glow coming from?

'...the need for vengeance is a flame that is never extinguished.'

'Yeah...' drawled Stark, uncaring that his voice sounded so slurred, what with all the Jacks and the oncoming fever (must be all this crawling around on the ground in... winter? Yep, definitely winter... Note to self, drinking still doesn't cure the common cold.), 'That'll be why Fury called us what he called us.'

Where was all that green coming from? Where was it? Oh.

Dizzy fingers trailed over the Arc Reactor. Huh. Not the unearthly shade of blue he was used to. Well that was weird. Probably wouldn't have met Yinsen's approval. Or... anybody's... for that matter. But why _green_?

'Are you ready for the show?' asked Loki, with a smile.

_Ahh_. That'd explain it. Wait. Who invited that freakshow to the show? It was _his_ show. It had his name on it and everything. Why was it winter? Where was-

'Stand up.' commanded Loki.

And Tony Stark did so. Through the fever. And the six too many Jacks. And the malfunctioning Arc which wasn't killing him yet. _Interesting_... And only because this was the whacked out demi god who wanted to take over the world and crash his party. Yeah. There'd be no slopping about on his knees with guys like that around. Oh no. Oh no no no... That just wouldn't _do_. Wouldn't do at all. What would Pepper think if she could see him now-actually where was Pepper? Wasn't she supposed to be getting right back to him about that balloon thing?

Then the words came, like the sea breeze on a deadly hot day. Calming and faint. Whispering and cool. Washing all traces of the balmy fever away.

'...understand?' asked Loki.

'Mmm hmm.' hummed Stark.

Wait, what did he say again?

'Good.'

And then he was leaving. Swish went the green cape. Back and forth and back and forth and back and there was that damn dizzy fever coming back again. Trying to drag him down into 14 hours horribly uncomfortable 'sleep' that he didn't need with the day he had planned tomorrow. And he hadn't even finished his interrogation of this, this... whatever _this_ was...

'Hey... uh...' Stark cleared his throat, voice cracking, 'Hey! You didn't tell me what _this_... this master plan of yours is! How am I supposed to do my avenging thing if I don't know that?' was that a sly smirk over that green cape? 'And what's this snow all about? It's June! Hey! Where'd you go? Where did you... Where's...? _Peppppppppppppppper_! Where's my balloons? Jarvis! I need a security scan on the whole perimeter! And a weather report! Stat! _Jarvis_? Damn it... How am I supposed to get anything done around here when there's no one around to help?'

A little help would have been good right now. He was having problems just standing up straight. Oh, and the guys were going to be _so_ thrilled when told them about everything he hadn't done. He could see the Captains cheesy 1940's Cary Grant sneer right now... guys like that didn't understand man flu.

A wave came crashing down on the inside, bringing the whole world with it.

Yep. He was _so fucked_...


End file.
